Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild Horse Rescue

BARBIE HORSE ADVENTURES: WILD HORSE RESCUE (Playstation 2)

Even though this game is much more varied and interesting than the Riding Camp game, I didn't find it as enjoyable - though it is still a lot of fun. In this one Barbie and her friends arrive at riding school to do a bit of horse riding, but (once again) a storm has resulted in some problems. This time a lot of horses have escaped and become lost along several different trails. Barbie and her friends offer to help bring all the horses back, and you play as Barbie, who seems to be doing most of the work.

You get to choose your own horse, and as more are rescued more become available to use. You can also change the appearance of the horses if you wish, and also Barbie can change her outfit, with more outfits becoming available as Barbie collects coins and gift boxes along the trails. There are three different areas to explore, each with three trails, and if you find all the horses this then unlocks another bonus trail - and finding all the collectables may possibly unlock another. This optional part of the game in addition to finding the horses is the hardest part, as there are many hidden areas to be found and it requires a thorough search to find them all.

On each of the trails there are six foals to be found, and these must be walked and tied to a save point ready to be picked up. This often involves solving simple puzzles, and some of the foals can also be hard to find. Barbie uses objects, climbs and does other things to get to the foals and get them back to the save points. In addition there is one full grown horse to be found on each trail, and these require chasing and catching with a lassoo. This is one of the most fun and challenging parts of the game, especially the last one, which runs around a cave full of hazards. But sometimes one of the other characters catches the horse instead, and decides to take a break and challenges Barbie to a horse race, which she must win instead of catching the horse on that trail.

Apart from the puzzles to be solved, Barbie encounters many hazards along the way, such as jumping over obstacles on horseback, or ducking underneath them - which if she doesn't do she'll get knocked off her horse. There are also things like rolling logs to avoid, and dangerous animals. Some must be avoided completely, while others can be distracted for a while by throwing them food. The animals and other hazards will trouble the horses until they lose all their trust for Barbie. This can be restored by feeding them, and sometimes by praising the horses. They will also get dirty along the way and require cleaning. This can be done by riding around in deep water, where available, or else the horses must be taken back to the stables to be washed in a sort of minigame. Barbie only has one minute to clean the entire horse, and if it is very dirty this can be a little challenge.

In addition to the main game there are a few minigames to play, such as horse racing or catching horses, and these can be played as either one player against the computer or against the clock, or else two player against your friend. Each trail also has the clock minigame, where Barbie has to ride around collecting all the clocks within a time limit for a bonus prize, and this is sometimes quite challenging. One of the areas is icy in places, and this introduces an extra hazard and challenge as the horse slips and slides. Even if a trail has been completed and everything found there, once it has been opened it remains open for Barbie to return to and ride again any time she wants.

Overall this is a fun game, but it can be quite tedious at times, especially if you are trying to collect all the coins, which can be inconveniently scattered about and hidden. Barbie has to continually get off her horse to do things, which can take quite a while. It might be better if there were more of a challenge involved, and the puzzles were harder to figure out, but for a younger player I imagine it might be quite hard. Unlike Riding Camp where most of the things can be done on horseback if preferred, and with long rides, this game doesn't have the same flow, where you're happily riding along uninterrupted. It doesn't have quite the same beauty either, though the scenery is excellent, and it has some great music. So as I said, though it is far more varied and interesting, for a horse riding game it doesn't have quite the same charm as Riding Camp - but still it's very good and well worth a try.

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